ANKARA: No Deployment Motion,Unintended Success for Bush Administrat

Zaman, Turkey
March 13 2005

No Deployment Motion, Unintended Success for Bush Administration
By Foreign News
Published: Sunday 13, 2005
zaman.com

American expert on Turkey Alan Makovsky has qualified the deployment
motion, which had blocked Turkey’s north frontier to be opened to the
US forces, as “An ironic success of the US in democratizing the
Middle East “.

Having worked on Turkish research at the Washington Institute,
Makovsky attended a panel on “Changing Images in Turkish-American
Relations” organized by Georgetown University Turkish Studies
Institute. Makovsky said there was a negative opinion in the Turkish
public about US interference in Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991.
Makovsky said that former President Turgut Ozal, “had managed to
control the situation in the best way and he provided party
discipline by holding an open ballot. If the same thing had applied
in the voting of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) on 1
March 2003, we would not be discussing this today.” However, Makovski
emphasized that the ‘no’ vote against the US had won respect for
Turkish democracy. “In my opinion TBMM voting on 1 March 2003
ironically turned into a development which supported the Bush
Administration’s initiation to expand democracy in Middle East” said
Makovski.

Makovski emphasized that Turkey and the US needs each other and that
sharing information about Iraq would be useful. About the Armenian
claims to be brought to the attention of the US Congress in a new
bill, he explained that he does not believe Bush Administration would
support such an attempt.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress